Driving arrangement for electrical toy train



H. HEINZL 3,225,705

DRIVING ARRANGEMENT FOR ELECTRICAL TOY TRAIN Dec. 28, 1965 Filed Jan. 5, 1964 United States Patent 3,225,765 DRIVING ARRANGEMENT FOR ELECTRICAL TOY TRAIN Hans Heinzl, Aulberstrasse 8, Rentlingen, Wurttemherg, Germany Filed Jan. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 335,620 Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 19, 1963, H 47,881 6 Claims. (Cl. 105-29) This invention relates to a driving arrangement for an electrical toy train and more particularly to a driving arrangement for supplementing the constant wheel drive of a toy locomotive on the tracks by means of a gear wheel adapted to engage a corresponding rack located in selected portions of the track.

A variety of electrical drives for electrical toy trains are known. The present invention relates to an electrically driven toy train in which the driving car or locomotive is provided with an additional gear drive adapted to cooperate with a rack, this arrangement being particularly employed to aid the train in passing over steeply rising portions of the track.

According to the invention the motor on the driving car or on the locomotive thus drives the wheel axles of a rotary wheel frame by means of conventional power transmission elements and additionally by means of a gear wheel mounted on another rotary wheel frame through a worm gear mounted on the drive shaft. The gear wheel is arranged so that it will mesh in a rack which is associated with the tracks.

It is difficult to provide driving conditions which are so perfect that a connection or clutching of the gear drive and the rack takes place always without slippage or temporary stopping. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to mount the worm gear which drives the gear wheel in a resilient manner on the drive shaft of the motor in such a way that the worm gear is longitudinally slideable on the motor shaft within certain limits and by arranging spring members on each side thereof. When the worm gear is subjected to pressure during the meshing of the gear wheel with the teeth of the rack the springs allow the necessary longitudinal movement of the worm gear to provide an easy transition to the gear wheel drive in the rack.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in combination with the accompanying drawing illustrating an embodiment of the invention and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation view of the driving parts of an electric driving car,

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the rotary wheel frame and the gear wheel according to the invention,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the rotary wheel frame and of the gear wheel of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows the mounting of the worm gear, and

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the elements for mounting and supporting the worm gear.

Referring now particularly to the drawing, the electric motor 1 is mounted centrally of the driving car and fixed to the base or support plate 12 of the chassis. Electric current is applied to the electric motor in the conventional manner through the left and right tracks 16 which are insulated from each other or in any other well known manner. The motor shaft has an extension 5 towards the left side and an extension 4 toward the right side. The left shaft extension 5 drives the axles or wheels of the rotary wheel frame 6 through a gear and worm wheel drive of conventional arrangement. The driving car is set into motion through the friction of the wheels on the tracks. The right extension 4 of the motor shaft is mounted at its outer end in a bearing support 13 and 3,225,795 Patented Dec. 28, 1965 carries a flywheel 8. The shaft extension 4 passes through a guide frame 14 which is fixed to the rotary wheel frame 7 which carries also the gear wheel 2. The shaft extension 4 passes through an upper opening of the guide frame and carries the worm gear 3 which is coupled to gear wheel 2 for rotating this gear. The gear wheel is so mounted that it engages and meshes with the teeth of a rack 15 which is mounted on the track. It will be understood that upon meshing of the gear wheel with the rack fixed to the track the driving torque of the gear wheel against the rack will be translated into a driving force producing a movement of the driving car relative to the rack and the tracks.

In operation the feeding of current to the electric m0- tor will produce a rotation of the wheels of rotary wheel frame 6 through shaft extension 5 and gear wheel 2 will also be rotated through its drive over shaft 4 and worm gear 3. As long as there is no rack with which the gear wheel 2 can mesh this gear wheel drive remains ineffective. However, at elevations of the track where a complementary rack for the gear wheel is preferably mounted, the gear wheel will engage the teeth of the rack. In view of the fact that it may occur that the teeth of the gear wheel do not meet exactly the spaces between the teeth of the rack the worm gear 3 is slideably mounted on its shaft extension 4. To allow this sliding or displacement of the worm gear a longitudinal groove is provided on the inner surfaces of the worm gear. The shaft extension 4 is provided with a corresponding projection or ball head 9 which is received in the groove of the worm gear. The displacement of worm gear 3 along shaft extension 4 is limited by compression springs 10 which abut at their outer ends against stops or abutment means 11 fixed to shaft extension 4.

According to another feature of the invention the gear wheel 2 is so arranged on the wheel frame 7 .that it engages the rack which is located in the center between the two tracks. In this case the shaft extensions 4 and 5 of the electric motor are also located centrally of the driving car. In reference to the two wheel axles of rotary wheel frame 7 the gear wheel is also located in this case between these two wheel axles.

it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments herein illustrated and described but may be used in other ways without departure from its spirit as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A driving arrangement for the driving car of a toy train adapted to run on electrically conductive tracks comprising in combination,

a support plate,

a wheel frame supported on said support plate and carrying wheels engaging the tracks,

electric motor means fixed to said support plate and having a rotatable motor shaft,

bearing means for supporting said motor shaft,

a guide frame for said motor shaft,

a worm gear mounted in said guide frame and arranged slidably on said motor shaft,

abutment means fixed to said motor shaft at opposite sides of said worm gear,

resilient means disposed between said worm gear and said abutment means,

a gear wheel mounted on said Wheel frame and coupled with said worm gear,

and rack means associated with the tracks,

said gear wheel being mounted for engaging said rack means for driving said driving car.

2. A driving arrangement for the driving car of a toy train adapted to run on electrically conductive tracks comprising in combination a support plate,

at least a pair of wheel frames supported on said support plate and carrying wheels engaging said tracks,

electric motor means fixed to said support plate and having a rotatable motor shaft,

said motor shaft having a first shaft extension at one side of said motor means and a second shaft extension at the other side of said motor means,

bearing means for said first shaft extension and said second shaft extension,

a wheel drive connected to said first shaft extension for driving the wheels of one of said Wheel frames,

a guide frame for said second shaft extension,

a fly wheel connected to said second shaft extension,

a worm gear slidably mounted on said second shaft extension and received in said guide frame,

said worm gear having a longitudinal groove in its inner surface facing said second shaft extension,

a projection on said second shaft extension engaging said groove in said worm gear,

abutment means fixed to said second shaft extension at opposite sides of said Worm gear,

spring means disposed between said worm gear and said abutment means,

a gear wheel mounted on another Wheel frame and coupled with said worm gear,

and rack means associated with preselected portions of said tracks,

said gear wheel rotating constantly during operation of 4. said motor means and engaging said rack means over said preselected track portions to support said Wheel drive of said one Wheel frame.

3. A driving arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said worm gear is mounted on said second shaft extension between said bearing means and said motor means.

4. A driving arrangement according to claim 2 Wherein said spring means are spiral springs surrounding said second shaft extension between said Worm gear and said abutment means.

5. A driving arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said worm gear and said gear Wheel are mounted centrally of said other wheel frame.

6. A driving arrangement according to claim 2 Wherein said second shaft extension, said worm gear, said gear wheel and said rack means are located centrally of said tracks.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 862,080 7/1907 Levin 105-29 1,523,363 1/1925 Howell 105-29 2,348,616 5/1944 Frisbie 10549 2,595,936 5/1952 Goode 105-75 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

EUGENE G. BOTZ, Examiner. 

2. A DRIVING ARRANGEMENT FOR THE DRIVING CAR OF A TOY TRAIN ADAPTED TO RUN ON ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE TRACKS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A SUPPORT PLATE, AT LEAST A PAIR OF WHEEL FRAMES SUPPORTED ON SAID SUPPORT PLATE AND CARRYING WHEELS ENGAGING SAID TRACKS, ELECTRIC MOTOR MEANS FIXED TO SAID SUPPORT PLATE AND HAVING A ROTATABLE MOTOR SHAFT, SAID MOTOR SHAFT HAVING A FIRST SHAFT EXTENSION AT ONE SIDE OF SAID MOTOR MEANS AND A SECOND SHAFT EXTENSION AT THE OTHER SIDE OF SID MOTOR MEANS, BEARING MEANS FOR SAID FIRST SHAFT EXTENSION AND SAID SECOND SHAFT EXTENSION, A WHEEL DRIVE CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST SHAFT EXTENSION FOR DRIVING THE WHEELS OF ONE OF SAID WHEEL FRAMES, A GUIDE FRAME FOR SAID SECOND SHAFT EXTENSION, A FLY WHEEL CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND SHAFT EXTENSION, A WORM GEAR SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND SHAFT EXTENSION AND RECEIVED IN SAID GUIDE FRAME, SAID WORM GEAR HAVING A LONGITUDINAL GROOVE IN ITS INNER SURFACE FACING SAID SECOND SHAFT EXTENSION, A PROJECTION ON SAID SECOND SHAFT EXTENSION ENGAGING SAID GROOVE IN SAID WORM GEAR, ABUTMENT MEANS FIXED TO SAID SECOND SHAFT EXTENSION AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID WORM GEAR, SPRING MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID WOEM GEAR AND SAID ABUTMENT MEANS, A GEAR WHEEL MOUNTED ON ANOTHER WHEEL FRAME AND COUPLED WITH SAID WORM GEAR, AND RACK MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH PRESELECTED PORTIONS OF SAID TRACKS, SAID GEAR WHEEL ROTATING CONSTANTLY DURING OPERATION OF SAID MOTOR MEANS AND ENGAGING SAID RACK MEANS OVER SAID PRESELECTED TRACK PORTIONS TO SUPPORT SAID WHEEL DRIVE OF SAID ONE WHEEL FRAME. 